Forensic Psychology 101

by Linda Gomberg JD, PhD

Overview

This is a concise, engaging overview of forensic psychology, spanning its origins as a discipline through the many varied opportunities for employment today. In easy-to-understand language, the book describes federal and state legal systems as they interface with psychological constructs, and presents several chapters focusing on specific areas of the discipline, from criminal matters and ethical issues to family court and juvenile justice. The roles of the forensic psychologist and attorney in court proceedings are addressed and clarified, and landmark cases are highlighted to demonstrate key concepts and how forensic psychologists can influence the law.

The book provides a legal foundation that forensic psychologists need to succeed in the profession, and highlights the methodological and assessment tools needed to evaluate clients and other individuals. Fascinating case studies—presented as “briefs” to highlight important facts and issues— and commentary by nationally renowned forensic psychologists and attorneys bring concepts to life, and call-out boxes are interspersed throughout describing relevant current events and profiling day-to-day work in the field. Chapter overviews, summaries, and discussion questions reinforce the book’s content.

Key Features:

• Delivers a realistic overview of what it is like to be a forensic psychologist
• Helps students to make informed career choices by highlighting different areas of practice
• Introduces students to key legal information they need to succeed in the field
• Highlights the methodological and assessment tools to evaluate clients and validate scientific credibility of the field
• Describes actual cases rulings to demonstrate key concepts and how forensic psychologists influence the law
• Authored by an individual who is an attorney, a former law school professor, and a current PhD associate professor of forensic psychology

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826140753
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/28/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Linda Gomberg, JD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forensic Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) in Southern California.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Loren M. Hill, PhD

Part I: An Overview of Forensic Psychology: The Origins

Chapter 1: The History of Forensic Psychology

Chapter 2: Constitutional Law and What Forensic Psychologists Need to Know

Chapter 3: How They Met: Behavior and the Law

Part II: Forensic Psychologists in the Courts

Chapter 4: Criminal Matters: Ethics, Types of Crimes, and Criminal Cases

Chapter 5: The Forensic Psychologist’s Role in Civil Cases: Experts, Juries, and Research

Chapter 6: The Forensic Psychologist’s Role in Family Court

Chapter 7: The Forensic Psychologist’s Role in the Juvenile Justice System

Part III: The Forensic Psychologist and the Lawyer

Chapter 8: The Roles of the Forensic Psychologist and the Lawyer

Chapter 9: The Growing Future of Forensic Psychology

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Christopher J Graver, PhD, ABPP-CN(Madigan Healthcare System)
Description: This book describes the basics of forensic practice for psychologists.
Purpose: There are many forensic psychology books available; this one is designed to be introductory, covering the foundations and easy to consume.
Audience: It is intended as a primer for students of clinical psychology. The book is written by an attorney with a doctoral degree in media psychology, which means that she is not practicing clinically and thus the book is from the legal perspective rather than from the perspective of a psychologist engaged in medicolegal work.
Features: In contrast to the very specific and detailed depth that most forensic psychology books go into regarding specific situations and conditions, this book instead focuses on the foundations of practice in medicolegal cases. While the book contains useful legal foundations and cases, it also has clear misinformation about psychological practice, possibly owing to the author's lack of experience in this area (e.g., claiming that ABPP membership is limited to 4,000). There are "in the news" sections at the end of each chapter, but frequently it is difficult to see the connection to the chapter or the probative value to forensic psychology practice. It includes highlights of the practice of various forensic psychologists, but the writing style is more appropriate for an elementary school presentation on career paths than for a professional publication for graduate students. Moreover, the specific examples of cases are frequently focused on the court findings and outcome rather than the role of the psychologist in the proceedings. When they are mentioned, it is a sentence or two with no details of the evaluation or sense of what really went into the psychological side of the case. The book is also heavily focused on court-mandated evaluation (e.g., competency) and criminal trials as opposed to tort, where more psychologists are likely practicing.
Assessment: This book has a worthwhile intent to provide foundational information about forensic psychology for students, but unfortunately it does not live up to the expectation. It is more a book for law students to understand how a psychology expert fits into their case preparation than for psychologists to learn about forensic practice. In that sense, the title is misleading, some of the content as it relates to psychology practice is inaccurate, and it is overly simplified, diminishing its educational value. A much better resource is Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers , 4th edition, Melton et al. (Guilford Press, 2018).

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